


a collapsing star with tunnel vision

by CerinityKS



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Smut, Gen, Good Theo Raeken, Hurt Theo Raeken, M/M, Protective Malia Tate, Rimming, Sick Character, Smut, Theo Raeken & Malia Tate Friendship, Theo Raeken Has Issues, Theo Raeken Needs a Hug, Theo Raeken-centric, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:42:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26635306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CerinityKS/pseuds/CerinityKS
Summary: Theo is dying.Turns out he wasn't as successful as he assumed and the Dread Doctors are massive dicks, even from beyond the grave. Theo is more or less resigned to his fate and the fact that he and Scott will never get their shot.Malia isn't taking any of Theo's shit.-“He’ll forgive you, when this is over,” Malia reassured after a few minutes of silence.“If I’m alive,” Theo muttered, looking out the window.“You will be,” Malia said sharply, determined. “You’ll live, you and Scott will make up, and then have tons of disgusting sex and probably adopt a kid or two eventually and grow to be disgusting old people together.”“Just like that huh?” Theo smirked.“Just like that.” Malia nodded.
Relationships: Scott McCall/Theo Raeken, Theo Raeken & Malia Tate
Comments: 16
Kudos: 126





	1. a beginning.

**Author's Note:**

> (title taken from 'last of the real ones' by fall out boy)
> 
> **this story is complete!**
> 
> just figured I'd get that out of the way first lol this fic is already written and beta'd in its entirety. It's only 3 parts so the other 2 should go up relatively soon-ish, idk, I'll figure out a schedule to post them. Anyway, this came about because I just really wanted to hurt Theo for some reason, and then I really wanted to see Theo and Malia being bro's, but still keep it sceo, and this is what I ended up with. 
> 
> **massive** , massive thank you goes out to [ceej](https://hale-argent.tumblr.com/), who not only beta'd this for me but made the graphic for this as well. This would have likely been a hot mess without you, so thank you.
> 
> Anyway, I really enjoyed writing this, so I hope you guys enjoy!

Theo was dying.

He stared at the journal in his lap and felt numb. He expected to feel something else at having his suspicions confirmed – rage, maybe, or grief – but instead he just felt… empty. It was one thing to suspect for months; mind swirling through denial after denial, cataloging the symptoms with clinical precision, and sorting through possible explanations. It was another thing entirely to finally have one of those explanations confirmed. The intermittent shaking of his limbs, the feeling of weakness, his loss of stamina, loss of appetite, the dark, brackish looking blood he’d started to cough up at random intervals, it added up to one explanation: he was dying, slowly rejecting whatever it was the dread doctors had done to him to make him into a chimera. 

He kept reading the journal, darkly fascinated at seeing his fate written out in front of him. Whatever the doctors had done to make him the first successful chimera hadn’t, actually, been all that successful. Just more successful than those that came after him. The rejection process was slower, the breakdown of his body delayed for some unknown reason. The doctors had found a way to almost permanently delay it as long as they injected him with a special serum once every year or so depending on the severity. Theo didn’t remember these injections ever taking place but considering how often they had him on the table, open and exposed in an attempt to study him, and how he did his best to block those times out it wasn’t really a surprise he’d missed them. 

Theo thought he’d escaped the doctors two years ago for good when the Beast had killed them all. Staring blankly down at the book in his lap, the words spinning and mocking him, he realized he should have known the doctors would have found one last way to fuck his life up. One last goodbye gift from them before they’d departed this world, made more mocking by the fact that Theo had proof there was a serum that could save him save for the fact that the doctors, in their infinite wisdom, hadn’t written it down, the formula lost forevermore in their expired consciousness. 

Theo wanted to rage, to cry, to scream, and yell and destroy the already ruined operating theatre he sat in. It wasn’t fair, a part of him wailed. Hadn’t he gone through enough? Suffered enough? Hadn’t the doctors _taken_ enough from him? Why did they now get to take his life?

He gazed around at the ruined operating theatre. It had been picked over and destroyed after the Beast and once more after the Wild Hunt had passed to erase any final existence of Der Soldat. Theo knew this was karma coming back around for him. No. He accepted his fate with a sinking finality; he didn’t deserve to live. Everything he’d done, everything he’d become under the dread doctors' tutelage, ensured that. He’d received his justice once before when he’d been locked in the skinwalkers prison. Everything he’d done and experienced once he’d been freed by Liam was just extra he hadn’t deserved, one last taunt before his final expiration. 

At least Corey would be spared this fate. The serum he’d used from Der Soldat’s liquid containment to bring the other chimeras back to life seemed to have stabilized Corey in a way Theo wasn’t. It was unlikely Corey would ever suffer this same slow, agonizing death facing Theo now. Theo had been a shitty alpha to the guy but he couldn’t help but be fiercely satisfied that he’d done one thing right by him. That he’d unknowingly protected him. He was able to do one thing right by the one person left from his failed pack. 

Theo let the journal drop from his lap as he stood, not bothering to put it back in the hidden compartment he’d found it in. It was useless to him now, answers already revealed with nothing else left to give him. He hadn’t wanted to think about it, but there was one answer left. There was only one thing left that could possibly save him, and it was the one thing he’d never get or deserve. 

He let out a bitter laugh at his past actions coming back to bite him, or not in this case, once more. He briefly contemplated telling the pack, letting them know he wouldn’t be around and would have to make other arrangements for patrols but changed his mind. God, Stiles would probably get a kick out of this, him finally getting what was coming to him. The others in the pack probably wouldn’t care, would just care about the inconvenience to their schedules with the exception of the three he considered his friends. And Scott… 

He clenched his jaw, shook his head, and looked towards the hidden alcove where he’d found the journal once more. No, he wasn’t just going to roll over and give up. There had to be _something_ else they left, _some_ other clue to the serum to stabilize him. He couldn’t – wouldn’t – put another death on Scott’s conscience if he could help it.

He coughed, chest tight, and ignored the way he felt momentarily lightheaded as he marched over to the alcove with renewed determination. This couldn’t be the end, not yet. 

-

“God, what is _wrong_ with you?” Malia complained as she skidded to a stop in the clearing they’d found. Theo stopped behind her and made a valiant effort to hide how tired he was after their relatively short run through the preserve and instead shot her a confused look. One that Malia did not believe if her unimpressed expression was any indication.

“What do you mean?” he asked instead. It wasn’t his fault he was tired. He’d been spending the last few nights in the dread doctor’s operating theatre going over their notes and trying to figure out different formulas for a potential serum. He had been slacking off on his training lately as well, not wanting to be reminded about his expiration date, or about how easily he got tired now doing something that used to take no effort. 

“You, you’re being all… weird,” Malia gestured at him vaguely. “And you’ve smelled off for the past few days. Different. And I can tell you’re tired and out of breath, don’t bother trying to lie,” Malia accused him when she saw Theo open his mouth to do just that. Theo huffed, annoyed that she knew him so well. “What’s wrong?” Malia asked again and this time she looked concerned. Theo sighed. 

One of the most unexpected things to come out of the past two years was his friendship with Malia. When Scott, Stiles, and Lydia had left for college Malia had stayed behind, uninterested in getting any more education. Sure she’d traveled a little with Derek and Peter, but she’d come back to Beacon Hills after a few months. With the puppy pack still in school it had fallen to Malia and Theo, who had nowhere else to really go, to do most of the patrolling and legwork when it came to protecting the area. The puppy pack helped when they weren’t in school but Malia, Theo, and Derek when he came back, had done their best to keep them out of it so they could enjoy their last years in school in peace. 

This had forced Malia and Theo to spend a lot of time in each other’s company. It hadn’t started off well, to put it lightly, and in the early days more often than not their patrols together had ended in a brawl that both of them walked away injured from. It wasn’t until Derek, tired of having to patch them up and break up their fights, had taken them aside and made them work through their issues. The tentative truce had built into a deep bond of friendship between them that Theo honestly wasn’t sure what he’d do without. Malia knew him better than anyone, even Liam and Scott at this point, and Theo was not liking the idea of trying to hide his inevitable demise from her. 

“I’m fine Malia,” he forced a grin. “I’ve just been slacking off. It’s been quiet lately so I guess I’m just letting myself relax.” 

Malia eyed him, clearly skeptical, but she’d been on him to relax and unwind for ages so Theo could tell she wanted to believe him. “Fine,” she said, eyes narrowed. “Remember the party is this weekend. Don’t miss it, I know Scott wants to see you.” 

“I forget something one time and you never let it go,” Theo complained, completely ignoring the second half of what she said in an attempt to fight off an embarrassed flush as they took off running again. Malia smirked at him and Theo scowled. “You’re the worst,” he huffed as he leaped over a fallen log. It was Monday, he wasn’t going to think about Friday yet.

“I don’t know how you ever managed to fool us, you’re a terrible liar,” Malia laughed as she shot ahead, a clear challenge in her movement. 

“Oh hell no,” Theo muttered as he shot off after her. Theo, despite being out of breath, refused to give up and caught up just as they reached his truck. He made a noise of triumph and launched himself at her, both of them tumbling to the ground in a tangle of limbs. Malia swiped at him with her human hands and he wrestled her to the ground, the two of them fighting to stay on top. 

“Do I need to separate you two?” an amused voice called out. Both of them froze and snapped their heads up to see Scott leaning up against Theo’s truck. 

“Scott!” Malia beamed and wriggled out of Theo’s suddenly slack grip to leap up and hug the alpha. Scott caught her with a grin as Theo slowly pushed himself up. 

“Hey Malia,” he laughed as Malia rubbed their cheeks together, scenting the alpha that had been away for the past few months. Scott tended to get more tactile when he came back, a way to help re-strengthen pack bonds that grew thin with the distance, and after two years the rest of the pack was happy to oblige. 

“I thought you were getting back Friday night?” she asked as she pulled back. 

“Finals were done early so I came back today to surprise everyone,” he shrugged before he smiled at Theo, who had finally managed to push himself up and had come to stand by Malia, careful not to get too close. “Hey, Theo.”

“Hey Scott,” Theo hoped the breathless tone of his voice could be mistaken for shortness of breath after wrestling with Malia. 

If the smirk Malia shot him was any indication she knew better, but Scott apparently didn’t. He just beamed at him but made no move to pull Theo close. Theo had long learned to deal with the bitter sting of the fact that he wasn’t pack and never would be. Malia, Scott, and Liam might like him but no one else did, and if Scott ever tried to make his allyship with them official he knew the rest would probably riot. They were probably the only ones that would even miss him when he was gone. 

He swallowed and managed to grin at Scott, only a little delayed.

“You coming to the party on Saturday?” Scott asked, a hopeful tone to his voice. Theo managed to nod, not trusting his voice not to betray him again, and Scott beamed. “Great! I’m glad.”

There was an awkward silence for a moment before Theo gestured to his truck. “I should… get going. I’m meeting up with Liam later and I need to change,” he gestured to the dirtied tank and shorts he had come out to run in. Scott gave him a once over and Theo swallowed when Scott’s gaze lingered on his arms and neck. Malia shot him a thumbs up from behind Scott and he scowled at her. 

“Well, I’ll see you this Saturday,” Scott seemed hopeful.

“Yes, see you then,” Theo nodded. He stepped around him and swatted at Malia playfully as he passed to climb into his truck. He resisted the urge to look into the mirror as he drove away, not wanting to see if Scott or Malia were watching. When he was far enough away he stopped the car on the side of the road and buried his face in his hands while he groaned. 

That could have gone better. 

-

The days leading up to the party were tense for Theo. He spent more time than ever in the dread doctor’s old operating theatre trying to come up with a solution. It was honestly a miracle that neither Liam nor Malia had caught on yet. Now that Scott was back he definitely didn’t want to risk the alpha finding out. Scott was a bleeding heart and he knew Scott would want to do anything to help. He’d take it personally if Theo couldn’t be saved and that was the last thing Theo wanted on his conscience before he died. Scott deserved better. 

So, Theo lost even more sleep, formulas invading his dreams the few times he managed to snag a few restless hours. It seemed like now that he was aware of what was happening and was actively trying to fight it the rejection process was speeding up. He’d spit up more black blood and had more attacks in the past few days than he had in the past few months leading up to this realization. He knew it would only be a matter of time until he had an attack in front of someone else, probably Malia. Suddenly the thought of going to the party on Saturday and being around her and Liam, around Scott, sounded like the _worst_ idea ever. 

There was no way he could go.

His chest ached at the thought of letting Scott down but he knew he needed to stay away. The more time he spent around him the more he risked Scott finding out. His hands shook at that, not from rejection but from fear. He couldn’t be the cause of more disappointment for Scott. He needed to start pulling away from him now so that when he inevitably died it didn’t hurt as much. Because even though he was searching and trying to find ways to stay alive, Theo knew there was no real hope. 

He was going to die.

He stared down at the table in front of him, journals and loose pages littered across it. Nothing offered him any sort of resolution, or salvation, or anything that would help. 

With a loud cry he swiped everything from the top of the table and flipped it. His mind was blank as he accepted the truth. He kicked out, breaking off a table leg and then again, kicking the chair away this time. He heard it smash into the wall but turned his attention forward with an enraged snarl.

He was going to die. 

He smashed his fist forward, taking out a chunk of wall, and then kept pounding and pounding. The fragile bones in his hand broke and healed, broke and healed, but he didn’t feel the pain. He needed to hurt something, to destroy. 

He was going to die, and it wasn’t fair. 

He stopped, fist buried in concrete, and trembled. He didn’t want to die. He looked around. The small area off to the back that he’d taken over for research purposes was destroyed. The table was broken and missing a leg, the chair was kicked back and had shattered at impact with the other wall. The journals and papers were scattered, some ripped, others littered with debris. The wall was in pieces, exposed piping and drywall behind it. He heaved and felt something wet on his face. 

He pulled his hand back and flexed it, hissing at the sting of broken bones as they shifted and healed. He touched his face, only vaguely surprised to find that he was crying. He swallowed and sank to his knees. The trembling in his limbs got worse, vision going blurry, and he knew what was about to happen before it did. 

He leaned over and heaved, bile and black blood hitting the tile in front of him. He groaned as his insides squirmed and heaved again, and again. He lost track of time as the attack ravaged him, and when he came to he was lying on the floor in a puddle of filth. He pushed himself up, arms weak, and stared around. That was two days in a row he’d had an attack, and it solidified for him that if he went to the party in two days’ time he’d have another attack, probably in front of everyone. 

He managed to move slowly and flopped back against the ruined remnants of the wall as he tried not to laugh or cry at this ridiculous situation. Only one thought rang through his head, and it was that, no matter what, Scott couldn’t find out. 

He wasn’t surprised that, when it came time for him to arrive at the McCall house two days later and he was a no show, Liam and Malia started to blow up his phone. He turned it off and continued getting changed. He was only in his apartment (given to him by a very generous Derek after he’d found out Theo was homeless) to shower and change before he headed back to the operating theatre. 

He had a new lead. This wasn’t the only operating theatre they had. They had multiple around the world, but one other on the West coast. Theo vaguely remembered going to it after he’d left Beacon Hills with the doctors but he didn’t know where it was exactly. He was hoping that maybe it would have more information on his condition for him, but he needed to find where it was located first. 

He’d had another attack the day before, more violent than the last, and knew his time was running short. He needed to find that other theatre, even if all it offered was meaningless information. Maybe he could stay there, let his time expire in the place he was made. It would be poetic.

He should have known that Liam and Malia wouldn’t accept being ignored. It was only a slight surprise that he heard his door being practically kicked in as he finished changing, and when he looked downstairs, he saw a mad Malia glaring up at him. 

“What the hell Theo?” she demanded. “Do you know how upset Scott is? I kept promising you would be there and where are you? Not there!” 

Theo groaned and leaned against the second-floor railing. “I’m sorry Malia, something else came up.” 

“Something more important than Scott?” Malia scoffed. “Theo, you’ve been looking forward to this party and the chance to see Scott again for weeks. Literally. It was disgusting having to listen to both you and Scott moon over each other.”

“I don’t-” Theo started to protest but Malia’s glare made him close his mouth with a snap. She nodded. 

“I told you that if you went and told him how you felt you’d probably be able to have gross, love-sick sex or whatever this weekend. And yet here you are, avoiding him and not getting sex. What gives?” Theo flushed a bit at her words but clenched his jaw. 

Scott and his feelings for Scott were… complicated. Theo had always felt _something_ for Scott, even as far back as fourth grade. When he’d come back under the Dread Doctors' guidance to take Scott’s power he’d figured that something he felt was the need to take and take and then _take_ some more, to see Scott pushed as far as he could before Theo finally _broke_ him. It was a sick kind of obsession, but after coming back from his own personal Hell he’d realized that the obsession he’d felt towards Scott had been more desperation. Not to take what Scott had but be part of it, to be _with_ him. The doctors had taken his desire to be with Scott, to be back and where he felt _safe_ , and twisted it to suit their needs. 

It had taken Theo months to untangle how he felt about Scott, to see past what the dread doctors had made him feel to figure out how he _really_ felt. He’d admired him, even before, wanted to prove himself, but hadn’t thought about it much past that until Malia, during one of their first arguments after making peace with one another, had flat out asked him. He’d been unable to answer, mind lost in thoughts of Scott, and it was only Malia’s slow-simmering rage that had made him realize how loudly his chemo signals were telling the truth for him before he’d even realized it. 

It had been their worst fight to date, so bad that Derek had kept them away from each other for over a week. Malia and Scott had broken up a month before, the distance and Malia’s unwillingness to move to Davis to be with Scott and live off of him had taken its toll on their relationship. Malia hadn’t quite been over it yet, and then finding out that Theo, the person she’d hated and only just grudgingly started to like had feelings for her boyfriend, whom he’d previously murdered, was not a good combination.

Their reconciliation had been painful and tense, but they’d moved past it and never talked about Theo’s feelings at all. Until one day, nearly a year after they’d become real friends Malia had casually brought it up and asked when he was gonna tell Scott. Because apparently, Scott had taken to talking about Theo a _lot_. They had been spending more time together when Scott was down from Davis and Scott had taken him on a number of missions alone as well and would he please put her out of her misery and _do something_.

To say Theo hadn’t believed her was an understatement, and she’d spent the next six months trying to convince him she was telling the truth. It hadn’t been until Scott’s last trip to Beacon Hills that he’d started to understand. He’d finally agreed that when Scott came back for the summer this week he’d say something, and then this had happened. 

It was like fate was laughing at him.

Theo swallowed and looked away from Malia. “Things changed, that’s all.” 

“Bullshit,” Malia growled. “Not this. Not this quick. Tell me what the hell is wrong with you!”

Theo scowled, ready to tell her anything he could think of to get her to go away so he could go search in peace when he felt an attack coming. His eyes widened, scent going sharp with fear, and Malia frowned. Her expression grew horrified when Theo leaned over the railing and started to cough up black blood. 

“Shit,” she breathed before she sprinted up the stairs in time to catch Theo as he collapsed backward, blood still dribbling down his chin. “Theo, oh my god.”

Theo managed a shaky grin at her before he leaned away from her and threw up more blood, body trembling violently. “What am I supposed to do? Theo, what do I do?!” Malia demanded, veins in her arms a stark black as she tried to siphon as much pain from Theo as she could. 

“G-gotta let it,” Theo coughed, chest sharp with pain like his lungs were being slowly shredded, “let it pass on its own.” 

Malia held him as he continued to cough until it finally subsided a few minutes later. She was pale and shaking, though Theo couldn’t tell if that was her or residual shaking from his own body. He collapsed back fully against her and just tried to breathe through the pain. 

“We, we should get you to a hospital,” Malia whispered. 

“No hospital,” Theo rejected. “They can’t help anyway.” 

“Why not?” Malia demanded. “What was that Theo? That looked like when-” she cut herself off and Theo smirked grimly. 

“Like when the chimeras the dread doctors made rejected the changes? Yeah, surprise.”

Malia shook her head. “No, you were successful. You _are_ successful. There has to be another explanation, something we can do,” because if this was the same thing then that meant that-

“I’m dying, Malia,” Theo said gently. “Turns out I wasn’t as successful as I thought. One last fuck you from the doctors,” he spat bitterly before he winced as it made his chest hurt. Malia absently pulled the pain as her expression crumpled. 

“Why didn’t you tell anyone?” she asked. 

Theo groaned. “What would be the point? Beside you, Liam, Derek, and Scott no one would miss me,” he pointed out. Malia opened her mouth to protest but Theo shot her a look. 

“There’s gotta be something we can do,” Malia insisted instead, expression stubborn. Theo wished he was as confident as she was that something could be done. He knew better, but he couldn’t bring himself to tell her it was pointless. 

“Well, there might be something,” he said instead. He hadn’t wanted to bring anyone into this, but if it had to be someone Malia was as good a choice as any. And it would be nice not to be alone, especially if the end was as near as he thought. If he had an attack that left him helpless and they just happened to be set upon by hunters at least he wouldn’t be a sitting duck.

“What, tell me,” Malia demanded. 

“The Dread Doctors,” Theo slowly pushed himself up. Malia helped steady him and he gave her a grateful smile as he leaned back against the wall and just _breathed_. “They developed a serum to help stabilize me. I tore the theatre apart looking for it but if it’s written down it isn’t here. They have another operating theatre on the west coast though, the one where they created me, and maybe it’s there. I just need to get directions.”

“Then let’s find them. We’ll tell the others-” 

“No!” Theo interrupted before immediately dissolving into a coughing fit, sans blood this time at least. Malia’s expression grew alarmed and she crawled over to him, one hand on his arm to draw any pain and the other on his back rubbing in jerky circles. “W-we ca-can’t tell anyone!” he coughed, voice insistent. 

“OK, OK, we won’t tell anyone, _Jesus_ , just _breathe_ OK?” she demanded. Theo tried to laugh but groaned instead when it hurt. Malia made an irritated noise and Theo waved a hand in her direction and just focused on breathing. They sat there, huddled against the wall and covered in Theo’s blood, for what felt like hours. 

“I need to take a shower,” Theo finally said. Malia wrinkled her nose and looked down at her own outfit, covered in Theo’s blood, her neck, hands, and arms just as coated. 

“Me too,” she said. 

“You can go first,” Theo offered, and Malia glared. He threw his hands up and slowly forced himself up. Malia helped him which he was silently thankful for as his legs were shakier than he was comfortable admitting. She helped him into the bathroom and stripped off his clothes. He shooed her away from helping him in the shower though and she left with obvious reluctance. 

“I’m not gonna die the moment you take your eyes off me,” he’d teased, but the way she’d gone nearly white let him know she didn’t find it as funny as he did. She’d still left, and Theo had climbed into the shower again to clean himself up. When he’d made it out ten minutes later it was to Malia on the ground scrubbing away at the blood. He swallowed. 

“Malia,” he said. She kept scrubbing. He called her name again but she ignored him until he knelt down next to her and put a hand on her shoulder. “Malia, go take a shower,” he insisted. 

“The blood,” she gestured, and Theo took the scrubbing pad out of her hand.

“I’ll get it,” he reassured. “I’m used to it by now,” again the wrong thing to say as Malia turned horrified eyes on him. He sighed. “Go take a shower. I have a shirt you can borrow when you’re done if you want,” since her shirt was covered but her shorts would probably be ok. 

Malia searched his gaze for a moment before she nodded and got up. The door to the bathroom closed gently behind her and Theo sighed before he got to work. The clothes he had been wearing were a lost cause so he tossed them and then got to work on scrubbing out the bloodstains. He hadn’t been lying when he said he was used to it so it only took him a matter of minutes to get the blood off the carpet to his satisfaction. 

He quickly changed and then got out a shirt for Malia before he went downstairs to grab something to eat before they left. Malia joined him twenty minutes later, ruined shirt in hand as she tossed it in the trash next to his. He offered her a sandwich but she declined, focused on the task at hand.

“We should start looking for those directions.”

Theo eyed her. “Not gonna try to convince me to head to Scott’s party instead?”

Malia’s expression wavered before she swallowed and shook her head. “This is more important. Scott will understand.” Theo nodded. 

“Let’s go then.”


	2. the juicy middle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, I felt the urge to update a few days earlier than I initially planned so yay! I have the feeling you guys won't mind lol The last part will definitely come out sometime next week, not sure yet when tho. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy it! (and don't hate me for the ending!)

_He quickly changed and then got out a shirt for Malia before he went downstairs to grab something to eat before they left. Malia joined him twenty minutes later, ruined shirt in hand as she tossed it in the trash next to his. He offered her a sandwich but she declined, focused on the task at hand._

_“We should start looking for those directions.”_

_Theo eyed her. “Not gonna try to convince me to head to Scott’s party instead?”_

_Malia’s expression wavered before she swallowed and shook her head. “This is more important. Scott will understand.” Theo nodded._

_“Let’s go then.”_

They searched through most of the night before Theo finally found the directions. They mostly searched in silence, with Malia asking the occasional question before she moved on. It was nearly 2 AM when they left and Theo didn’t bother to argue when Malia crashed on his couch. He turned his phone on before he slid into bed himself and saw that he had ten more missed calls from Liam, 2 voicemails from him, and then one missed voicemail from Scott. 

He hesitated a second before he clicked on it.

“ _Hey Theo, um guess you couldn’t make it after all. I, uh, hope everything’s ok. Malia never came back so I guess she’s with you? I, ah, well, I just missed seeing you at the party. Give me a call in the morning? Um, bye._ ”

Theo closed his eyes and bit back the scream that was building in his chest. This weekend was supposed to be good. He was supposed to finally confess to Scott and be _happy_ for once, despite the objections he knew they’d get from the rest of the pack. It was supposed to be the beginning of something _better_ for him. Instead, here he was, avoiding Scott and trying not to think of his inevitable demise and how he was going to break Scott’s heart. 

He threw his phone on the nightstand and curled up under his comforter. His shoulders shook with suppressed sobs as he closed his eyes tight and tried to push his thoughts aside so he could fall asleep. 

-

Theo woke, the opposite of rested, to the smell of coffee brewing in the kitchen. He groaned. 

“I already called Derek and told him we’ll be away for a little bit,” Malia called up to him. “I also stopped at my place and packed, so I’m ready to go whenever you are.” 

Theo groaned again and silently cursed that Malia was the one to find out. What the hell had he been thinking yesterday? He knew nothing he said now would persuade her out of this. She was determined to find a way to save him and with a possible lead, he knew she would want to check it out as soon as possible. Theo could try to delay their leaving, pointing out that he did have a job he needed to call into as well, but Malia had probably thought of that too.

“I also called Deaton, he’s good!” Malia announced a moment later. Theo sighed. 

“Just give me a few minutes to pack.” 

He spent the next two minutes in bed before he pushed himself up to brush his teeth. Grabbing the ragged duffle Derek had lent him a while back, he packed haphazardly and quickly. He paused and bit his lip as he glanced towards his pillow. With a sigh, he pulled the crumpled hoodie out from underneath. It had long ago lost its scent but just knowing who it belonged to was good enough. 

He threw the UC Davis hoodie into his bag and then headed downstairs to see a similar duffle by the door. Malia silently handed him a thermos filled with coffee and he took a large sip of it, throwing her a grateful smile.

“Liam came by earlier,” Malia said as she grabbed her bag and they stepped outside.   
“I didn’t hear him,” Theo frowned. Liam, especially when mad at him, had a habit of barging into his apartment and yelling at him.

“That’s because I took care of it,” Malia smirked. Theo winced and silently felt bad for the beta. “But he’s probably gonna call you later to yell at you, especially after he finds out we’ve left.” 

Theo was both surprised and unsurprised to see Scott standing outside when they left the building, looking unsure about being there at all. His expression when he saw them shifted from surprised, to happy, to confused, to upset as they approached. “You’re leaving?” he asked as they got closer. 

Malia silently took his bag and the keys from his suddenly limp fingers. Scott watched her walk over to Theo’s truck before he looked back at Theo, a hurt look on his face. “What’s going on?” he asked. 

Theo swallowed and stopped a foot away, close enough that he wanted to sway into Scott’s overwhelmingly comforting scent. “Something came up,” his voice came out rough, almost harsh, and Scott winced. Theo swallowed again. “I’m sorry about missing the party. I wanted to be there .” 

“I wish you had been,” Scott whispered. Theo’s chest hurt suddenly but he knew it wasn’t from an oncoming attack. “Your thing, I – I mean can I he-?”

“No!” Theo cried suddenly, cutting off Scott before he could finish. Scott winced back as if struck. Theo winced himself, one hand raised before he clenched his fist and dropped it. He shouldn’t touch, he didn’t have the right. “No, I mean, I’m sorry, but you can’t help. Honestly, if Malia wasn’t, you know, _Malia_ she wouldn’t be helping either.” He tried to smirk but wasn’t sure it came out right. Scott grinned weakly back at him. “I can’t tell you what’s wrong, but I’m going to take care of it,” he promised.

“With Malia.”

“With Malia,” Theo confirmed. Scott nodded and stepped closer. Theo resisted the urge to step back, not wanting to risk Scott scenting the sickness on him but not strong enough to step away either. “Scott,” he whispered. Scott pressed a palm to Theo’s cheek. Theo shuddered and leaned into the contact, eyes closing automatically. 

“Theo,” Scott replied, voice pained, and Theo knew then that he wasn’t the only one that had plans for Saturday’s party. Malia had clearly been hyping both of them up. He felt a whine building in his throat and ruthlessly suppressed it as he opened his eyes. The look Scott was giving him was adoring and pained in equal measure and Theo hated that he had put that look on his face. “How long are you going to be gone?” Scott asked. 

“As long as it takes,” Theo answered. _Until I’m gone, probably_. He knew his chances of coming back from this trip alive were slim. Last night’s attack was the worst yet and his time was running out. They were happening nearly every day now and he knew once that happened it would only be a matter of time. Even if he made it back before the end it would likely be too late.

“I’m going to miss you,” Scott said, and then he swayed forward, intent clear. Theo wanted to reject what was about to happen but he was selfish. He wanted to experience it just once before he died. He sighed when Scott’s lips touched his and leaned into the alpha’s body. Scott pulled him closer, deepening the kiss as he licked into Theo’s mouth. Theo couldn’t help it as he whined and clutched at Scott’s shirt. 

Pulling away was one of the hardest things Theo had ever done. Scott chased his lips, but Theo shook his head and smiled sadly at the questioning noise Scott made.“I, I’m sorry Scott,” he whispered. Scott looked confused and more hurt than before. Theo silently pulled out of his embrace entirely. “I need to go. I-” He huffed and ran a hand through his hair. “I’ll see you later.”

He turned abruptly and started towards his truck. He could see Malia in the driver’s seat, trying to look like she wasn’t listening but the pitying expression on her face was clear. “Theo,” Scott called after him but he didn’t turn around. He climbed into the passenger seat and closed the door with finality. “Theo,” Scott called again, closer this time, but he looked resolutely ahead as Malia started the truck and took off. Scott was left in the rearview to stare after them.

Theo made it maybe two minutes into the drive before Scott’s name started to light up on his phone. He managed to reject that call, and the next before he turned his phone off. It was when Malia’s phone went off next that he broke down. He cried silently, chest heaving with repressed sobs. Malia didn’t say anything as he cried, only offered her right hand in silent support. Theo gripped it, grateful as the cries tapered off after a minute or two.

“He’ll forgive you, when this is over,” Malia reassured after a few minutes of silence. 

“If I’m alive,” Theo muttered, looking out the window. 

“You will be,” Malia said sharply, determined. “You’ll live, you and Scott will makeup, and then have tons of disgusting sex and probably adopt a kid or two eventually and grow to be disgusting old people together.”

“Just like that huh?” Theo smirked. 

“Just like that.” Malia nodded.

-

Theo knew Malia was impatient to get there but even she couldn’t drive by herself the whole way there. Theo had tried to get her to switch off after a few hours but she had insisted she drive, though from the way her hands gripped the wheel he knew she was nervous the whole time. She had never gotten more comfortable with driving even if her skills had improved. He’d tried to push the issue but Malia was stubborn. 

“What if you have an attack while driving?” she insisted, and Theo had let it go, but not before making her promise that if she was going to drive the whole way there they’d take plenty of breaks and stop off to sleep. She’d wanted to protest but Theo was just as stubborn and they came to an agreement. 

Malia’s fears weren’t completely unfounded either. That first day was fine. They pulled into a cheap motel 6 off the highway once Theo insisted they stop and got food at the nearby McDonalds. Theo could tell that Malia was frustrated with their lack of progress, but because of traffic, they’d only just made it past the Oregon border when they had to pull off for the night. They passed the time watching bad TV and making fun of the characters before they fell asleep, Theo dreaming of Scott. 

Theo was unsurprised in the morning when Malia woke him up as soon as the sun broke the horizon to continue driving. The day did not pass as peacefully, courtesy of Theo’s attack mid-way through their trip. Malia pulled over to the side of the road, eyes wide and scent anxious. Theo managed to stumble out of the truck to collapse near the line of trees. 

He heaved, and heaved, and soon felt Malia’s hand rubbing circles on his back as he gripped his stomach. He whined, tears leaking out of his eyes unconsciously as he lost the ability to stay upright. Malia caught him with a curse and stayed close as his body shook uncontrollably. He felt something snap but lost in a haze of pain he wasn’t sure what even as it healed. 

“Breathe, Theo, just breathe,” Malia whispered as she ran a hand through his hair. 

He groaned, eyes closed, and nearly gasped with relief when he felt the attack start to subside. 

“Oh thank god,” Malia whispered as she collapsed next to him. They huddled there next to his pile of sick as cars continued to whiz by. Theo felt weak, useless, and completely helpless. He was suddenly thankful that Malia had insisted on coming with him. He wasn’t sure he’d have been able to do this alone. 

“Come on, we should leave,” Malia whispered a moment later. 

Theo nodded and let her help him up. To passing cars, it probably just looked like he was drunk and Malia was looking after him unless they got a closer look. Theo climbed into the truck slowly, and once he was settled Malia returned to the driver’s seat. They were silent as she guided them back onto the highway, and Theo was unsurprised to see her pulling off at the next town and pulling into the first motel they came across. 

Malia kept a close eye on him the rest of the day and night, and he was surprised that she managed to fall asleep at all. The next day they set back out bright and early, the sun not even up yet, and he knew Malia was trying to make up for the delay the previous day. Unfortunately, it ended up much like the previous day, and before they’d made much progress he felt another attack coming. 

“Malia,” he gasped, hand gripping onto the door handle. She looked over and swore and immediately swerved off the road. Theo bolted out but didn’t make it two steps before he dropped and heaved. Malia held him tightly as she dropped next to him, soothing words falling from her mouth as she rubbed a hand up and down his back. Theo could smell how nervous and angry she was, how much she hated this and wanted nothing more than to reassure her.

He heaved again at that moment though, insides as fragile as paper. It didn’t last much longer than the one before, only a few minutes, but he felt weaker. Each attack was taking more and more out of him, taking him longer to recover from. He’d already had three in a row at this point and prayed that he wouldn’t have one tomorrow.

He did object this time when Malia started to head towards the next exit ramp they came across once they were back on the road. 

“No, Malia, come on, keep driving,” he protested. 

“You need to rest.” Malia pointed out, jaw clenched. 

“I can rest in the truck,” Theo said reasonably. “Besides, if we keep stopping whenever I have an attack it’s going to take up forever to get there. Keep driving,” he pleaded. Malia’s expression wavered. “Just for another hour or two,” he tried to bargain.

“Fine,” Malia agreed. “But we need to stop for gas first anyway,” she said as she guided them onto the exit ramp anyway. “And I’ll go in and grab us some snacks and water.” 

Theo agreed and waited patiently in the truck as Malia gassed up and then went inside to pay. He closed his eyes and leaned against the window, still exhausted but glad that Malia had agreed to keep going. He wasn’t sure how long he was resting before he heard Malia get back into the truck. She dropped a bag onto the center console and Theo could see saltine crackers, ginger ale, Gatorade, and water. He knew those were mostly for him as he hadn’t been able to keep most food down. That had started the day he’d found out he was dying and he’d done his best to eat normally in front of others. The moment he was alone though he’d throw it all up. When Malia had heard she’d gone quiet and then when they’d stopped at the next rest stop she’d made sure to grab him something easier on his stomach. 

She grabbed a chocolate bar out of the bag as they pulled away and munched on it easily, all earlier anxiety and nerves gone. Theo grinned and looked out the window. They pulled into another motel an hour-and-a-half later. They were maybe a few hours away now if they kept to their current schedule. Theo knew it was pointless to hope that he wouldn’t have another attack at this point. It looked like they’d reached daily attacks, something he had hoped would hold off longer. 

Malia kept to their schedule, not stopping even after an attack. They only waited for it to pass and cleaned up before getting back on the road. They pulled into a gas station after though so she could grab something for him to eat and drink to help keep him hydrated and ensure the only things he was throwing up weren’t blood and bile. Malia still insisted on stopping that night, however, so that when they arrived the next morning they’d have all day to search. Seeing the logic Theo agreed. 

By the time they’d finally made it to North Cascades National Park, where the doctors’ operating theatre was hidden, Malia was nearly vibrating out of her skin. It was barely 9 AM, so they had most of the day ahead of them. They parked at a diner off the road and then hiked in. Theo wanted to shift, to run to the hidden entrance, but he wasn’t sure he had the energy. If it turned out he wasn’t able to, he didn’t know what he’d do. 

Malia kept close to him as they hiked through, the entrance hidden maybe an hour in. They nearly missed the hidden latch, camouflaged as it was. Only the faded, stale scent of chemicals and a flash of memory let Theo know it was there. Malia jumped down first and waited patiently at the bottom as Theo climbed down on shaky legs. The tunnel, completely made by the doctors, was long. It took them another two hours, with liberal stops for Theo to rest, to traverse. 

By the time they made it to the theatre Theo was shaky, hairline dotted with sweat, and Malia kept shooting him worried looks. He ignored her, and when they finally pushed into the operating theatre Theo gave a sigh of relief. It was laid out similarly to the one in Beacon Hills with only a few extras, and minus the large specimen tanks. They stopped to look around. 

“Where were their journals in the other one?” Malia finally broke the silence. 

“Hidden behind that wall over there,” Theo gestured. 

“Good a place as any.” Malia headed over determinedly and Theo followed, looking around to try to find any other places they might have hidden something. Malia tore through the wall with ease, the hidden alcove only half-filled compared to the one in Beacon Hills. Malia started pulling them out and handing them to Theo. Once they were all pulled out they settled down on the floor and started to read. 

Like before they stayed mostly silent, with Malia asking him questions more frequently this time. These journals were more scientific in nature than documentary, a good sign. They spent the rest of the day there reading, not realizing how long it had been until their stomachs growled. Malia looked up. “Any chance they might have some food here?”

Theo shook his head. “Unlikely. I can look, but it would probably be easier for you to run back to that diner and grab us something. You should probably move the truck too,” he pointed out. “I think we’re gonna be here a while.”

Malia looked at the stack of journals they had left and sighed. They had only read half of the pile so far. “You’re probably right. They got a place to sleep here at least?” 

Theo pointed to another wall off to the side. “Behind there.”

Malia stood up. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Will you be alright?”

“I’ll be fine,” Theo grinned in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. “I promise. Go grab us some food and make sure my truck doesn’t get towed.” 

Malia shot him one last nervous look before she nodded and left. Theo knew she didn’t want to leave him alone in case of an attack, but most of the day had gone by and nothing yet. Theo was cautiously optimistic that maybe it _wasn’t_ as bad as he feared yet, that he wouldn’t have one. And then an hour after Malia left he felt one coming. He groaned and somehow managed to crawl over to the drain in the floor before he heaved for the first time. 

He lost himself in the attack, but this time when he felt something snap he knew it was two fingers in his left hand. He groaned and dropped to the ground as his arms gave out, just barely staying out of the filth. He shivered and laid there, unable to move and lost as the waves of pain crashed over him intermittently. He felt the bones in his fingers slowly knit back together, much slower than they should have. Even when the pain passed and he had stopped heaving they felt tender, the skin almost numb, and he knew they weren’t completely healed yet. 

He moaned and rolled onto his back to stare up at the dim bulb overhead. It took him nearly twenty minutes to gather his strength and the whole time he fervently prayed that Malia wouldn’t get back anytime soon. He slowly managed to push himself up, legs trembling like a newborn deer, and clung to the operating chair. He breathed in slowly and then made his way over to the overhead hose to spray the filth off the floor into the drain. He cleaned the area slowly and then made his way back over to the pile of journals. 

Leaning his head back against the wall, he just breathed. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed but he knew Malia had to be back soon. He had just pulled another journal towards himself when he heard the sound of her walking down the corridor, absently noting that he hadn’t heard her until she was closer than she should have been. His senses were starting to dull. Another sign of the inevitable. 

She came in a moment later carrying take out bags from the diner, a grin on her face. “I have soup! That’s a sick people thing right?” Theo laughed, and the tense lines of her shoulders relaxed. “Are you okay? Did you have another attack?” she asked as she got closer, eyes scanning him thoroughly. 

“Nah, I’m good,” Theo lied easily with a grin. “Guess it’s a good day today.”

Malia sighed, relieved, and then joined him on the floor. She passed him the container of soup and pulled out a burger for herself. She put the container of fries between them and Theo grabbed one gratefully as she cracked open her soda and the bottle of water for him. They ate silently as they read. 

They managed to make it through most of the journals in the next few hours before they both felt the call of sleep. Malia took one look at the room that Theo had slept in, small and dark and filled with cobwebs, and shook her head. “Nope,” she declared, and then hauled the two cots stuffed in there out into the main operating theatre. Theo silently agreed and was relieved that he wouldn’t be spending a night in that room. He’d been young last time he was there but he’d spent hours, days, locked up in that room beating on the door and crying. Scared out of his mind and just wanting to go home and get away from the doctors that hurt him whenever they felt like it. 

They fell into an uncomfortable sleep on the lumpy cots, pressed close together. Malia held onto his wrist as if to monitor his heartbeat even in sleep. Theo didn’t expect another attack so soon but he woke from a dead sleep in the middle of another one, much too soon on the heels of the other. His chest was tight, hard to breathe through, and he was throwing up so much blood that it had started to leak from his nose and eyes. Malia panicked, eyes wide, and dragged him off of the cots to the floor.

This was so much worse than before.

“Theo, oh god, what do I do? Theo? Theo!”

He tried to reassure her that he would be fine, but then he coughed and felt something _crack_ in his chest. _Well shit_ , he thought, right before he blacked out.

He woke up what felt like hours later to see Malia curled up in a ball in front of him, pressed against the wall. Her red eyes were fixed firmly on him, tear marks streaking down her cheeks. “Your heart stopped,” she whispered, “for almost a minute.”

Theo couldn’t find the strength to move but that information alarmed him in some distant part of his brain. 

“You’re not going to make it, are you?” she whispered next. “Even if this magical formula is here, it’s too late, isn’t it?” 

Theo closed his eyes. “H-had to, try,” he whispered. 

Malia laughed, a harsh broken sound. “You knew it would be useless though, right?” 

Theo managed to nod. Even if they found the formula he’d known his body had broken down too much at this point, past the point of repair even by the serum the doctors had written about. But he hadn’t wanted to give up, still wanted to have some hope that maybe it would work. And with Malia…

“What about Scott?” 

Theo managed a harsh laugh, more energy coming back to him as he weakly pushed himself up off of the hard ground. Malia moved to help him, and it was then that he realized that he was absolutely covered in blood. More than double than he had been last time. He winced as he sat up fully, chest tight.

“You broke two ribs,” Malia said. Theo nodded and remembered the pain in his chest right before he blacked out. He was only distantly surprised that his healing hadn’t kicked in yet, then remembered how long it had taken his fingers yesterday. Maybe he _couldn’t_ heal anymore, his body passed the point of no return.

“There won’t be a formula, will there?” Malia asked once he’d gotten comfortable on the cot again. Her eyes were terrified and a little angry. 

“Probably not,” he muttered. “There’s only one thing that could possibly save me now,” he laughed again. Malia wrinkled her nose, confused, before her face smoothed into realization. 

“Scott,” she said. 

“Scott,” Theo confirmed. “And we both know that’s something no one would let him risk. Not with me,” he scoffed. Malia’s face tightened. 

“It’s not their decision, it's Scott’s,” she protested. 

“You’re saying you’d be okay with me getting the bite from him?” 

“Of course!” 

Theo blinked, surprised. Malia scoffed. “Theo, you’re pack now. I think so, Derek thinks so, Scott definitely thinks so,” she smirked. “The puppy pack accepts you, well,” she shrugged. “Liam does. Everyone will get over it. You deserve to live,” she growled, frustrated. 

“Malia,” Theo whispered. She looked away, embarrassed, and Theo looked down with a grin before he sighed. “I’m pretty sure it’s too late for the bite anyway.”

“Why do you say that?” Malia asked. “We can head back right now and tell Scott everything, he’ll bite you on the spot.” 

“Malia, I’m not healing,” he said gently, then winced as his ribs agreed with him. “The rejection is just gonna accelerate now. Even if we headed back right now chances are it’ll be too late for the bite to take.” 

Malia’s jaw clenched. “No, not happening,” she dismissed. “We’re gonna get you cleaned up, changed, and then get you back to Scott. You’re going to have that disgusting life I described. You’re not dying!” she insisted. 

Theo didn’t argue. He knew denial when he saw it. Instead, he just agreed. “Okay.” 

He laid on the cot, still covered in his bloodied clothes while Malia sprayed the floor down. Malia’d had the foresight to bring a change of clothes and some toiletries for them. Once she was done she helped him change into clean clothes. They didn’t bother with the rest of the journals or cleaning anything else up. Instead, once Theo felt strong enough they started the hike back out of the operating theatre.

Malia kept an arm around him the whole time, and if he had been feeling better he would have objected. He was past the point of objecting to help, however, utterly useless and essentially human as he was. It took them nearly twice as long to get down the corridor, Theo needing multiple stops, and nearly ten minutes to climb the ladder. Malia never pushed him, never complained he was taking too long, and Theo was grateful once more that it was Malia that was on this journey with him. 

The sun was nearly down by the time they made it back to the diner and to the truck. Theo fell asleep almost as soon as he sat down, utterly exhausted. He woke a few hours later to a coughing fit, black blood dribbling down his chin, but it never turned into a full attack. Malia looked at him from the corner of her eye, knuckled white on the steering wheel, and bit her lip. Theo grabbed the water bottle in the console and washed his mouth out before rolling down the window and spitting. 

“How long?” he rasped, voice rough.

“It’s been four hours,” she whispered. Theo nodded and pressed his forehead to the cool glass.

“You should stop,” he whispered. 

“No,” Malia snapped, voice thick. “No, I need to keep going.”

“Malia, you need to sleep and rest,” he winced as his ribs protested when he turned to look at her. “At least pull over at a rest stop and sleep a few hours.” 

Malia shot him a look, bit her lip, but then nodded. Theo nodded, whispered a “Good,” and then fell back into a light sleep. When he woke next Malia was passed out in the driver’s seat and they were in a rest stop. He coughed, throat sore, and drank some water. The dash said it was just after 3 AM. He wanted to wake Malia up, make her move to the passenger seat so he could drive, but he knew he didn’t have the strength. Instead, he just fell back asleep. 

The next day passed much the same. He slept a lot, just utterly _exhausted_ as his body broke down. He leaked black blood from his ears, nose, and eyes randomly, and had more regular coughing fits where it came up as well. He had one more actual attack in that time and Malia had managed to get them off the road in time to hold him up as he heaved. 

They had just passed a sign saying Beacon Hills was 50 miles away and were coming up on another rest stop when he had another that ended up with the backseat of the cab just covered in blood. Malia shook the whole time, expression pained, but anytime Theo tried to reassure her he heaved again. It was the longest one yet, and Theo felt two more ribs break. Malia bit her lip so hard it bled, veins in her arm a stark black as she tried to pull as much pain from him as she could. Theo tried to speak, but he passed out once more. 

He woke up nearly twenty minutes later to Malia kneeling on the floor, head on his chest as she watched it rise and fall, listening to his heartbeat. Malia didn’t mention if it stopped or not, but by the terrified look in her eyes, he guessed that it had. 

Theo trembled in the backseat after the attack as Malia moved up front to drive them into the rest stop parking lot. They just sat there for a few minutes, breathing, and Theo pretended not to hear the way Malia’s breath hitched and caught in a telling way. 

“We should get you changed, and then we’ll stop here for a little bit before going the rest of the way,” Malia announced. Theo grunted in agreement and tried to push himself up. He saw Malia take out her phone and type out a few quick texts but thought nothing of it as he slowly opened the door. Malia climbed back over the seat and caught him as he nearly fell. She leaned him up against the truck as she grabbed his bag and rummaged around for some clean clothes. 

“Here,” she helped him strip and put on the new clothes, both of them thankful that this early in the morning no one else was there. She threw his clothes away after and moved him so he was sitting on a nearby bench. “Just… just let me try to clean what I can and then we’ll head out, okay?”

Theo nodded and watched as she moved back to the truck. They’d grabbed some cleaning supplies at a gas station after the last stop but Theo knew they’d be useless. The back was ruined and at this point with how much of a mess he’d made, he’d pretty much written the truck off. 

Another car’s headlights flashed as it pulled into the rest stop and Theo groaned. His hopes that they’d stay in their car were dashed when both passengers, two older males, stepped out. Theo was so weak he couldn’t even shift his eyes anymore in an attempt to see them better. He could vaguely hear Malia cursing as she continued to clean as he kept an eye on them. They didn’t seem to be paying attention to them which was good. They lingered near the restrooms where the vending machines were.

“Theo, your truck is shit,” Malia growled as she scrubbed at something after spraying it liberally with the cleaner they’d stopped for after leaving the hotel. 

“Hey, no need to insult the truck,” Theo wheezed through the pain of his broken ribs. They’d taped them as best they could at the operating theatre the other day but with newly broken ribs, it wasn’t doing much. “It’s gone through a lot with me.”

He turned back to look at the humans, wanting to keep an eye on them. His eyes widened in horror. “Malia, get down!” he yelled just as the two guys opened fire on them. He dove for the ground and whined as his ribs protested the rough movement. He tried to quickly crawl to the truck for better cover. He yelled as a bullet struck his leg and heard Malia growl.

“Theo!” she yelled, words slurred in a way that meant her fangs had dropped. He reached the truck a moment later just as another bullet struck his shoulder. He cried out and collapsed against Malia who hauled him behind her and up into the cab of the truck. “Stay down,” she ordered before she took off.

“Not going anywhere,” he muttered as he listened to the sounds of Malia crying in rage and the hunters screaming in fear as she reached them. Theo pressed down on his shoulder and suppressed a cry. He didn’t feel the unique burn of wolfsbane emanating from it, just the regular pain of being shot. His leg was another story. It shook as he tried to bring it closer, ribs protesting. The sounds of fighting were fierce, but they were drowned out a moment later by the sound of tires screeching and then a loud roar. Theo felt it deep in his bones and he closed his eyes.

“Scott,” he whispered. 

The fight appeared to end quickly as soon as Scott joined in, the sounds fading, and Theo was once more struck by just how helpless he was. If he’d just realized they were hunters sooner, smelt something, _seen_ something, but he was as good as human right now. And now Scott was here.

Malia appeared at the door a moment later, covered in blood and eyes wide. “I got the bullets,” she announced as she crawled on top of him. “Where were you shot?” she demanded. 

“Shoulder and l-leg,” he gasped as she prodded at the hole in his shoulder. “Wolfsbane only in my leg,” he groaned as she pressed down.

“Keep pressure on that,” she growled as she moved and ripped his pants at the knee to expose the wound.

“What else am I going to do?” he snarked before he bit back a howl as she burned the wolfsbane out of his leg. “Did you search them?” he asked when she was done and he could think through the pain. 

“Scott and Stiles are,” she answered. Theo groaned.

“ _Stiles_ is here too?” he complained. Malia shot him a look and he clenched his jaw before Malia hauled him out of the cab and deposited him in the passenger seat. Theo looked out the window and saw her wave over to Stiles and Scott who were huddled around the hunter’s car. Stiles had their phones and the GPS in hand. Scott said something to him and Stiles shot the truck a poisonous look before he headed back to his jeep. Scott jogged over to them, an anxious look on his face, and Theo groaned. 

“I can’t believe you called him,” he hissed to Malia as she climbed into the driver's seat. She shot him a stubborn look. 

“I wasn’t going to risk it,” she hissed right back. “You nearly died in front of me twice Theo. Twice! Scott wasn’t going to give up asking what was wrong, I had to tell him something. I don’t regret it either.”

Theo just sank back into his seat as Scott climbed into the backseat. They could hear sirens in the distance and Stiles was already peeling out of the parking lot. Malia floored it, wanting to put as much distance between them and the police as possible. Her phone rang a moment later before anyone had the chance to speak and she put it on speaker. 

“They were Monroe’s,” Stiles’ voice greeted them. “And they probably recognized Theo’s truck and plates. There are pictures of all of us and our cars on their phones.” 

“Son of a,” Theo sighed. “Knew I should have changed those,” he muttered. 

“Anything useful?” Malia asked.

“Nothing of real note,” Stiles dismissed. “We might be able to get something off of the GPS unit, maybe it’ll lead back to their hideouts. I’ll send it in later today.”

Malia nodded and then looked over to Theo. “You need to keep pressure on that,” she hissed as she looked at his shoulder. Blood tainted with threads of black seeped from between his fingers as he tried to keep pressure on the wound. 

“I am,” he hissed back. Scott made a concerned sound behind him and reached forward to press on his hand. Theo could tell he wanted to say something but he didn’t. 

“Guys? What’s happening?” Stiles asked from the phone. 

Theo winced and blacked out for a moment. When he came too Malia was looking forward, lips white, and Scott’s hand was right over his as he tried to help Theo keep pressure. “It’s okay,” he reassured them both, but knew it seemed like a pointless platitude when he was bleeding out next to her.

“We’re close to Beacon Hills,” he heard Scott saying. “Close to the hospital. He’ll be fine.” 

Theo barely heard him though. It was a little funny, he thought as his head lolled against the window. He thought he’d get taken out by the rejection of his chimera parts. Turns out Monroe was the one to get him in the end. 

“Theo, you need to stay awake,” Malia said.

“’M ‘wake,” he slurred, eyes heavy. Scott’s hand was warm over his. He shouldn’t have left, he should have stayed to spend his last few days with Scott instead of chasing something he knew wouldn’t help. 

“Theo, stay awake!” Malia cried, something shaking him. “Theo!” 

Theo sighed, eyes fluttering as he tried to look at her. “’S OK,” he whispered. 

“No, Theo, Theo!” 

Everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> find [me](https://rinnielove.tumblr.com/) on tumblr and come say hi if you want!


	3. an ending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here we go, final chapter! this has been a wild ride, from getting the idea for this story, to actually writing it, to having to re-write huge parts of the middle, to actually _posting_ it. I'm glad people have liked this story so much, and I hope the ending feels satisfying for everyone. Thank you for reading this story, and I hope you enjoy the last part of 'a collapsing star with tunnel vision'!
> 
> one more last **massive** thank you goes out to [ceej](https://hale-argent.tumblr.com/) as well for beta'ing this for me and creating the amazing graphic!

He came to, shoulder on fire. 

Malia held him down against the seat as he growled, fangs trying to drop but too weak to. “Stay still!” she ordered as she kept the flame to his shoulder. He yelled in agony and a moment later the flame was gone. “Theo, stop!” Malia pushed him down harder, careful of his ribs. 

Theo gasped, eyes rolling in his head as he sank back into the seat. His chest heaved as he fixed his blurry eyes on Malia. His hand shook as he brought it up to cover his shoulder, the skin blackened and bubbling from the open flame that had been held against it. 

“Theo, thank god,” Malia shook as she climbed back in her seat. Theo caught his breath and glanced over at her as he realized he was next to Scott in the backseat. 

“What-?”

“You passed out,” Malia explained as she rearranged herself in the seat. Scott reached out to grab Theo’s hand and pulled some of the lingering pain as he stared at Malia. “I thought, you wouldn’t stop bleeding and we were too far from the hospital, I didn’t know what to do,” she explained. He could see her holding back her emotions, trying not to break, and Theo suddenly felt like shit. He never should have let her come along, never should have involved her. It wasn’t fair to put this all on her, to let her watch him die like this. To ask her to keep his secret from everyone else. From Scott. Even if it turned out she hadn’t kept it from Scott after all. 

“Malia,” he reached out, “I’m sorry,” he breathed.

“Don’t be stupid,” she shot back as she wiped at her eyes with her hand. No tears had escaped but Theo knew it wasn’t about that. 

“Still,” he insisted. “I shouldn’t have-”

“Shut up,” Malia scoffed. “I wouldn’t have done this if I didn’t want to.”

Theo didn’t say anything. Malia took a moment to compose herself before she reached over and started the truck again. They were pulled over on the side of the highway, the sun peaking over the horizon in the distance. Theo said nothing as she started to drive again. He felt weak, likely due to the blood loss, and he couldn’t seem to focus on anything. He wasn’t sure how long it had been since they started driving, but the sun was up when they passed a familiar sign and they were back in Beacon Hills. 

He could see Stiles’ jeep driving in front of them and realized that he didn’t hear his voice anymore. Malia’s phone was dark. He was a little surprised Stiles hadn’t called back yet but silently grateful. He didn’t want to deal with Stiles’ shit right now. 

He settled back into the seat and glanced over at Scott who was watching him with dark, anguished eyes. He swallowed. 

“Hey Scott,” he whispered. 

“Theo,” Scott’s voice broke on his name and he winced before he shivered. He was weak and trembling from the shock, body colder than it was used to being. Scott bit his lip. 

“I, um, want my jacket?” he offered. 

Theo smiled weakly and gestured to his bag instead. “I have a hoodie, can you-?” it wasn’t until he’d already asked that he remembered just _what_ hoodie he’d brought. He didn’t look at Scott as he pulled it out and stared at it. Scott inhaled sharply once and then handed it to him. 

“Do you need-?”

Theo shook his head and slowly pulled it on. “Thank you,” he whispered. Malia silently turned the heat up in the front. With Scott here, it was suddenly a little awkward to be wearing one of the hoodies he’d stolen from him. Not when he’d never worn them in front of him before, even if he knew Theo had them. 

He smiled a little as he remembered first taking one of Scott’s hoodies from his room the first summer he’d been back from college. Scott had invited him over to hang out completely out of the blue. Theo had been suspicious, not sure if there was an ulterior motive or not, if he was about to be told to leave town. 

Scott though had been nothing but happy to see him. He’d ordered pizza and they’d sat around watching movies before Theo hadn’t been able to take it anymore. 

_“What are you doing?” he’d demanded halfway through the second film._

_“What do you mean?” Scott had asked, an adorably confused look on his face._

_“What is all this?” Theo had gestured around to the living room, the pizza, the TV._

_“It’s us… hanging out?” he’d asked, clearly confused. Theo had made a frustrated noise._

_“No, Scott, I mean, what are you doing? Where are you going with this?”_

_“I’m not going anywhere with this,” Scott had smiled, still clearly confused. “I just wanted to hang out with you man. We’ve hardly seen each other.”_

_“Yeah, but why me?” Theo had insisted. “You’re supposed to hang out with friends, not… not badly reformed chimeras that have tried to kill you.”_

_“We are friends,” Scott had said gently in the ensuing silence. Theo had scoffed, and Scott had smiled sadly. “I’d like us to be anyway.”_

_“Why?” Theo had demanded. “The rest of the pack hates me and I don’t blame them. I killed you, Scott!”_

_“I remember, I was there,” Scott shook his head. “But Theo, I know you’ve changed. I know you regret what you did. You’ve been nothing but an ally, and I know you’re trying to be better. To do better. I’ve seen it. We were friends before, I’d like us to be again.”_

_“Just like that?” Theo has asked in disbelief._

_“Just like that,” Scott had agreed._

_Theo had stared at him before he’d looked away, jaw clenched. “I do, you know.” He’d glanced at Scott. “Regret it. I’m…” he swallowed. Scott had just put a hand on his arm and smiled._

_“I know, you don’t have to say it. I forgive you, Theo.”_

_Theo hadn’t been prepared for the rush of emotion that had hit him at those words. He’d only been able to stare at Scott in disbelief. He’d felt a tickle at the back of his throat, his eyes watery, but he’d pushed them aside and sniffed._

_“You’re an idiot,” he’d said instead, but it had come out more fond than insulting._

_“So I’ve been told.” Scott had grinned._

It had been the first real conversation they’d had, the first time they’d really connected, since before the Beast. Theo had spent the rest of the day at Scott’s, only leaving when Melissa had come home and been horrified at the prospect that Scott had been alone with him all day. They’d spent more time together after that and Theo had been surprised at just how easy their friendship had been. He’d stolen a hoodie that first night, and he was sure Scott knew he’d taken it but he’d never complained, never demanded it back. 

He’d just shown up with a new one the next time he’d come home, and every time since when Theo had subsequently stolen it. The one he was wearing now was the one he’d taken at Spring Break when Scott had stopped over for the long weekend. He smiled as he remembered finding it left out on Scott’s bed after their movie night with the rest of the pack. He’d circled back after leaving and snuck up to Scott’s room to grab it before driving home.

“Theo,” Scott said again. Theo swallowed, the smile dropping before he looked over. Scott’s expression was hurt and confused. 

“Why?” he asked. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why did I have to find out from Malia?”

“Scott...” Theo coughed and then shook his head. He could feel blood coating the back of his throat and he swallowed. “I didn’t, I couldn’t-” he cut himself off and made a frustrated sound. “It was too late,” he said instead. 

“You don’t know that!” both Scott and Malia snapped at the same time. Theo laughed and felt something coat his lips. From Scott’s horrified expression he had a feeling he knew what it was. 

“Scott,” he started, wanting to let him know that he was sorry, that he did regret it, that he should have stayed and told him, but didn’t get a chance to. He gasped and then doubled over as pain lanced through his body. 

Everything was pain, he couldn’t see, couldn’t hear, couldn’t _feel_. He heaved, insides shredding, and then threw up all over his lap. He could hear the faint sound of ringing, someone yelling at him, but he couldn’t make out the words. He groaned, body going limp as he choked on the blood in his throat. 

Someone moved him, put him on his stomach, and he coughed as his airway opened up. His eyes rolled, pain flaring as more ribs in his chest broke. 

“Scott… dying… here now!” he could vaguely make out someone yelling over him, hands pressed on his back and pounding. 

“…no, Theo!... with me, stay… No!”

Theo wasn’t sure how much time had passed before he was pulled up. The pain returned, bright and hot, and he gasped, more blood dribbling from his mouth before the pain reduced. It hurt to breathe, hurt to think. He was so _tired_ , he just wanted to _sleep_.

“Theo…”

Scott. 

A warm palm pressed to his cheek and he forced his eyes open. Scott’s horrified face stared down at him. Theo swallowed, wanted to reach up and brush the tears away, but he couldn’t move. He was starting to feel numb. “Sco-” he coughed. 

“Theo, oh god,” Scott breathed. “You’re gonna be okay, please, you have to.” Theo just stared at him, and Scott’s expression crumpled. “Theo, I need to know, do you want the bite?”

“’s too late,” he whispered. “Won’t work.”

Scott shook his head. “It’ll work,” he insisted. He sounded just like Malia, and from the way Scott’s lips twitched he figured he must have said that out loud. “Theo, do you want it?” 

Theo could hear someone protesting, the sound of yelling and fighting far away, but he kept his attention on Scott. “Want you,” he whispered. Scott gave him a shaky smile. 

“I want you too,” his voice cracked on the last word. “Do you want the bite?” 

Theo licked his lips, no longer able to feel the motion. His body was shutting down completely. He absently noticed that his truck barreling through Beacon Hills at breakneck speed. He fixed his eyes back on Scott and smiled. “Only if you-” he coughed, body jerking wildly, and felt Scott’s grip on him tighten. 

“Scott, do it now!” 

“Theo, Theo wake up!” 

Theo tried to speak, but the blood in his mouth was choking him. He felt the truck skid to a stop as he managed to weakly grip Scott’s arm. “Love you,” he tried to choke out. He wasn’t sure how successful he was, but he had finally said it. His eyes rolled into his head as Scott reached for his arm and pushed the sleeve back. 

“Theo, no!”

He felt sharp teeth bite in just as everything went black. 

-

To say Theo was surprised to wake up was an understatement. 

He winced as he came to, the bright overhead light painful on his retinas. He breathed in, surprised that it didn’t hurt. The chemical smell that identified his location as a hospital hit him next and he looked down. 

“I’m not dead,” he whispered, surprised to see the pulse oximeter on his finger and the IV line attached to his arm. 

“You made a valiant effort,” a voice came from his left, “thankfully my son was more stubborn than you.” He looked over to see Melissa McCall standing at the open door. He blinked, surprised, and she came over to check his vitals. He watched her silently, not sure what to say. His relationship with Melissa had improved over the past two years in the sense that she ignored him but was willing to patch him up if he came into the hospital with Malia after a hunter attack.

“Those two haven’t left your side once,” she commented as she wrote something down on his chart. He looked to the other side of the room to see Malia asleep in the corner, curled into an uncomfortable-looking ball on a hospital chair with Scott right next to her. He swallowed, surprised when it didn’t hurt either. With the amount of blood and bile he’d been throwing up, he expected at least some soreness. 

“What happened?” he whispered, not wanting to wake them. Melissa gave him a look.

“What do you remember?” 

“I was with Malia and Scott, I was cold and then,” he shook his head, frustrated. “Nothing.” 

Melissa nodded, not looking surprised. “That was yesterday. You were in bad shape,” she explained at Theo’s shocked look. “From what I was able to gather you had an… attack, and Malia called Scott who was with Stiles. They met you guys halfway and Scott tried to keep you awake in the backseat while Malia drove you guys to the hospital.”

“You guys saved me?” Theo was confused. Nothing should have been able to fix what had been happening, he was _dying_ , he remembered.

“Scott bit you,” Melissa corrected, a hard look on her face. “You were bleeding out in his arms when he ran in with you. Dr. Geyer was able to stabilize you long enough for the bite to take.”

Theo swallowed. He thought he’d been imagining that. “I didn’t ask,” he gasped out. “I wouldn’t.”

Melissa slanted him a look but then sighed. “Yes, Scott mentioned that. He said he kept asking but you never said yes or no.”

“I couldn’t,” Theo shook his head. “I couldn’t ask. Not Scott. It had to be his choice.”

Melissa’s expression finally softened. “Oh honey,” she walked forward and put her hand over his. Theo clenched them in the blanket, not able to look her in the eye. “I thought he was crazy, you know,” she said randomly. Theo frowned, confused at the non-sequitur. “When he told me he loved you.”

Theo’s heart skipped at that. Malia had said as much, multiple times, and he’d gathered as much from how Scott had been acting, but to hear it from Melissa… she smiled at him. “I think I’ve been too harsh on you kid.”

Theo shook his head, protesting, and Melissa put a hand up. “No. I need to say this.” Theo sank back into the bed and Melissa sighed. “I was so angry at you, at what you’d done,” she shook her head, a pained expression on it, and Theo flipped his hand to hold onto hers. She squeezed it gratefully. 

“I’m still not sure I can ever fully forgive you for killing my boy, but,” she shook her head. “You have changed. I didn’t want to see it, but Scott, Malia, and Liam can be pretty convincing,” she laughed. “I can’t look at you and only see the kid that killed Scott anymore. So I’m going to give you a chance because you make Scott happy, and if Scott is able to love you then there must be something I wasn’t letting myself see,” she shot him a warning look, hand suddenly tighter on his, “but if you hurt him again, or pull some self-sacrificial bullshit like this and break his heart, no one will be able to find your body, got it, mister?”

Theo nodded. “Crystal, ma’am.”

Melissa snorted at that. “Call me Melissa kid, I have the feeling I’m going to be seeing a lot more of you in the future.” Theo flushed a little at that and she laughed and then pulled her hand from his. “I need to continue my rounds. Whenever those two wake up you can be discharged. I highly suggest you take a few days to just rest. Your body has been under a lot of strain in the past 24 hours.”

“Yes, ma- Melissa.” 

She nodded, adjusted the blankets over his legs, and then stepped out. Theo sighed and looked at the ceiling. He brought a hand up to study it, not quite sure he could believe Scott had given him the bite and it had taken. That he wasn’t dead right now. He flicked his hand and claws came out. He studied them, noting that there were some changes, but nothing too overt. 

“You’re awake,” a voice came from his right, and a moment later Scott was there. He placed a trembling hand on Theo’s and just breathed. Theo licked his lips, not sure what to say. He hadn’t expected this, hadn’t expected the bite to take or work, wasn’t expecting to be _alive_. “You nearly _died_ , Theo,” Scott accused, expression wrecked, and Theo _ached_ at how hurt Scott looked. “You almost died and I wouldn’t have _known_ until it was too late if not for Malia,” his voice broke and he shook his head. “Why didn’t you _tell_ me?”

“I’m sorry,” Theo whispered, suddenly aware of how futile his excuses now appeared. “I, I didn’t want to put you in that position, I didn’t think it would matter.”

“My feelings didn’t matter?” Scott sounded hurt.

“Of course they did!” Theo hissed, fists clenched in the sheets. “You,” Theo shook his head. “You were the most important thing. I didn’t want you to watch me _die_ , I couldn’t do that to you, not again,” he muttered. 

“I watched you die anyway,” Scott whispered, voice trembling. “Theo, that was the worst moment of my _life_. It was like Allison all over again.” Theo winced. He definitely hadn’t intended that. 

“I was an idiot, I’m sorry,” he said. “I never wanted you to have to be in the position to give me the bite, not when it’s me, not with our history. No one would trust me, not with you, I didn’t want to be forced to leave. I…” Theo shook his head. “I’m just sorry. I never wanted you to see that. I was _trying_ to avoid it.”

“By going off on a suicide mission to die hundreds of miles away instead of here?” Scott shot him a look and Theo looked away, embarrassed. Scott sighed. “Theo,” his hand cupped Theo’s cheek and turned his head so he was looking at him once more. “I’m still mad at you,” he whispered. “But I’m just so glad you’re alive.”

Then he pressed their lips together and Theo melted. He sighed and raised a hand to fist it in Scott’s shirt in an attempt to keep him close. Scott huffed against his lips and moved closer as he licked into Theo’s mouth and deepened the kiss. 

“I know I said I wanted you guys to be gross together,” a voice groaned from the corner, “but not in front of me,” it complained. Scott sprung away from him guiltily and they turned to see Malia looking at them through narrow eyes. 

“Sorry Malia,” Theo smirked, happiness bubbling in his chest.

Malia just grunted and shot him a look. “No you’re not, but since you almost died I guess I can forgive you.”

Theo’s smirk softened into an appreciative smile. “Thank you,” 

Malia just waved a hand in his direction, dismissing the thanks. “I reserve the right to say I told you so as many times as I like in the future,” she scoffed. Theo grinned and didn’t disagree. She had told him so, multiple times. “Let’s get you out of here so you guys can go be gross in private,” she stood and popped her back. “I’ll go find Melissa for the discharge papers,” she tossed over her shoulder as she walked out of the room, leaving them alone once more. 

Theo watched her go with a fond grin, knowing she was leaving to avoid getting emotional. He owed her so much, and he was sure she would remind him of that fact frequently.

“She was terrified you know,” Scott whispered. “She was practically hysterical the first time she called me. And in the truck? We’re lucky she didn’t crash getting us here.”

“Malia?” Theo scoffed. Scott just nodded. 

“You’re important to her Theo, she doesn’t have a lot of important people in her life.”

Theo got the implied message. He nodded. “I promise I won’t be so stupid anymore.”

“You better not be,” Scott searched his eyes for a moment before he smiled. “Let’s get you out of here and back home.”

“Home, huh?”

Scott grinned. “Pretty sure I heard my mom mention something about staying in bed,” he said, tone conversational as he helped Theo out of the bed. He absently noted that he’d been changed into new clothes at some point before Scott’s words hit him. He flushed, hard, and looked at the alpha who grinned at him. Theo’s lips twitched and he relaxed into Scott’s hold as he smirked and wound his arms around Scott to pull him closer. Not exactly what Melissa had said but he was happy to play along. 

“Bed huh?” his lips twitched. “And what am I going to be doing in bed for days?”

“Oh,” Scott’s lips brushed his, “I’m sure we can think of something.”

_three months later_

Theo whined, head thrashing against the pillow as he trembled. His hands shook, thighs quaking as he did his best to keep them pulled up to his chest like he’d been asked. Scott hummed from down below, tongue doing sinful things inside him as he slowly, so, so slowly pumped three fingers into him. He was only vaguely aware of the pleas falling from his mouth as his back bowed, trying to fight off his impending orgasm. 

“Scott please, please,” he begged. 

Scott pulled back enough to grin up at him as he added another finger. Theo keened, eyes rolling in his head as Scott pressed against his prostate. “It’s okay Theo,” he soothed and he leaned down and pressed a kiss to his quivering thighs. “Come for me.” 

Theo’s mouth dropped open in a soundless cry as he came immediately. He lost his grip on his legs and they fell across Scott’s shoulders. Scott kept pumping his fingers into Theo through the orgasm, only pulling them out when Theo stopped shaking. He pulled his fingers out slowly and pushed up so he could press a trail of kisses up Theo’s chest. “You with me?” he asked as he rubbed his cheek against Theo’s. 

“Mmm,” he moaned. Scott laughed and kissed him sweetly. 

“You good?” asked as he reached for the lube once more.

“So good,” Theo sighed and chased Scott’s lips. Scott kissed him back immediately, the kiss staying surprisingly chaste for their current activities. Theo’s breath caught when Scott slowly pushed into him, still sensitive but feeling so good. “Scott,” he moaned, and Scott nipped at his lips before he sat back on his heels. Theo whined but Scott shushed him. He reached for Theo’s legs and maneuvered them up over his shoulders. Theo didn’t have time to process the change before Scott was leaning down again, nearly bending him in half as he snapped his hips forward. 

Theo cried out and reached for Scott, nails digging into Scott’s shoulders as Scott set a bruising pace, his own fingers digging into Theo’s hips hard enough to leave bruises that would last for hours. Theo’s eyes rolled once more, cock hard again and weeping against his stomach as Scott slowly took him apart for the fourth time that day. God, but he loved alpha stamina. 

Scott buried his face in Theo’s neck, biting and sucking at it, leaving marks that were temporary but gave him a sort of primal satisfaction to see bruised into Theo’s pale skin. A reminder of right now and who Theo belonged to. Theo’s matching marks on his back and neck gave him the same satisfaction, a reminder that he was Theo’s as much as he was his. Some part of him always regretted that they couldn’t stay. Theo sobbed when he felt Scott bite down particularly hard, teeth nearly breaking the skin as he hit that spot inside him again and again. He was nearly mindless from the pleasure.

“Pl-please, please, Scott, _Scott_ ,” he whined, and the alpha reached between him to grip his cock. He gave it one, two jerks, and then Theo was coming with a half-aborted cry. He felt Scott’s hips jerk a few more times before the familiar sticky rush of release filled him. He shuddered when Scott pulled slowly out and collapsed next to him, immediately pulling Theo into his arms. 

Theo sighed and pressed a kiss to Scott’s chest as he curled against him. “Keep fucking me like that and we’re gonna be late to your going away party,” he teased.

Scott laughed and pressed a kiss to his head as Theo yawned, exhausted. “I didn’t want the party anyway,” he complained. His mother had insisted though. It technically wasn’t just for him but for Lydia and Stiles too. They were both heading back to the East coast. Lydia to return to classes for her masters, and Stiles for work. Scott would be heading back to UC Davis in two days for his junior year and Theo already wasn’t looking forward to it. It was due to start in an hour and Theo had gotten no less than ten texts in the past twenty minutes. He’d obviously ignored them all but he didn’t need to check to see they were from Malia and Liam telling them to stop fucking so they could make it on time. 

“You could still come with me you know,” Scott added a few minutes later after they’d relaxed fully onto the bed. Theo laughed and pushed up onto his arm to hover over Scott. 

“Scott,” he grinned, amused. “I’m not going to move out to Davis.” They’d had this talk a few times the closer it got to the end of summer and it always ended the same. “I can’t leave Malia on her own, especially not with the puppy pack graduating and going off to college too. No,” he laughed when Scott started to protest, “It’s just two years, and you’re back every long weekend and holiday anyway. I’ll come up during the week whenever I can, as often as I can, but that’s it. It’s too early to move in together anyway,” he pointed out logically.

Scott pouted but he knew Theo was right, just like he’d known every other time they’d had this talk. Theo would honestly love to move in with Scott at Davis but both of them knew now wouldn’t be the right time. Liam, Mason, and Corey were going to UCLA this fall, with Nolan going to the local community college. And with the new werewolf Alec that Scott and Chris had brought back a few weeks ago he needed to stay to help Malia and Derek with him. Plus, they’d only been dating for three months. While Theo was fine with them moving fast in every other aspect of their relationship he wasn’t sure he was quite ready for permanent cohabitation with Scott yet. That was a little too much too fast. 

Scott’s expression went soft and he pressed a hand to Theo’s cheek. “I’m just going to miss you,” he whispered. 

Theo leaned down to press their lips together. “I’m going to miss you too,” he replied. “We’ll make it work though.” And they would because Theo utterly refused to give this up now that he finally had Scott. They were far from perfect together, they fought and pushed each other's buttons, and the disapproval from some members of the pack still ate at Scott even though Theo knew they were slowly coming around. They worked though, and Theo wasn’t stupid enough to let Scott go. They _would_ make this work.

“You’ll be at Davis in two weeks?” Scott questioned as he maneuvered Theo up to straddle his hips. Theo smirked down at him and flexed his fingers against Scott’s chest. 

“Two weeks,” he confirmed as he rocked back against Scott’s twitching cock. “I’ll stay the whole weekend,” his breath caught as Scott slipped a hand down his back to press his thumb against his entrance. “God you're insatiable,” he laughed as Scott teasingly pressed it inside, rim still sticky with lube. 

“You love it,” Scott whispered as he slowly guided Theo onto his hardening cock. Theo’s eyes fluttered shut as he slid onto it. He wasn’t sure he had another round in him but god he was going to love trying to find out. “Love you,” Scott breathed as Theo set a slow pace, hips undulating in slow circles. 

Theo grinned, heart skipping in his chest as it always did when Scott said those words to him. “Love you too,” he sighed, eyes opening to catch on Scott’s alpha red ones. His eyes flashed blue in response and Scott laughed happily as he saw the proof that he’d been successful all those months ago. That Theo would be fine. 

They were definitely going to be late and Malia might possibly try to kill them, followed by Liam and Melissa in that order. But Theo couldn’t care, too happy and blissed out to care about the future right then. He had Scott, Scott had him, and right now that was all that mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, you can find me over on tumblr, come and say hi or talk at me about Sceo!

**Author's Note:**

> fine [me](https://rinnielove.tumblr.com/) over on tumblr if you want to say hi!


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